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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26161336">Little Wonders</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TidbitsAndThoughts/pseuds/TidbitsAndThoughts'>TidbitsAndThoughts</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Song Fic Stories [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A Hat in Time (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Dadtcher, WE DID IT FAM, WE MADE IT TO JUST A SWEET BIT OF FLUFF, also soft snatcher and plushies is all i desire, change my mind, hat kid has her superb pillow pile, snatcher has a secret stash of plushies, the owo seals have shared their owo, this fic be about feeling good and havin fwiends</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 13:20:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,456</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26161336</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TidbitsAndThoughts/pseuds/TidbitsAndThoughts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hattie wants to surprise her newfound dad with his favorite breakfast but things go wrong very quickly! But you know, I think these two are going to be okay. </p>
<p>This song fic is based on Little Wonders by Rob Thomas! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpSYDmYZgkA</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Song Fic Stories [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1884079</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>62</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Little Wonders</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            Hattie pushed the stool up to the stove and swapped her top hat for the chef’s toque that Cooking Cat had given her. She hopped onto the stool and stared at the burners.</p>
<p>            Right, how did she start again?</p>
<p>            She reached over to grab the frying pan and then tried to remember if she needed to oil it for bacon or not. Trying to recall what she had seen Cooking Cat do, she figured she would add oil just to be safe. Then, she hopped off of the stool and walked over to the fridge, which Cooking Cat had stocked with groceries after hearing Hattie wanted to try and cook breakfast. There was a pile of pink bacon and then a carton of eggs Cooking Cat had labeled. Hattie had never had bacon before, and the eggs looked different than the ones back home, but she was confident she could make a meal before Snatcher was scheduled to appear.</p>
<p>            Unfortunately, less than ten minutes into turning on the heat, the room was filled with smoke and the incessant beeping of the fire alarm. Hattie rushed to try and smother the flames in the pan, but the smoke was making it hard for her to find the lid between her coughing. She barely noticed the doors to the kitchen swing open.</p>
<p>            “Kid!” Snatcher cried in disbelief. “What are you doing?” He flew over to the stove and reached over. Hattie could only see his glowing eyes and mouth as his purple form blended in with the dark smoke.</p>
<p>            Before she knew it, she heard the click of the stove turning off and a clank as the lid dropped over the pan. A hand plucked her up by the back of her shirt and she found herself carried out into the clean air of the living room while she coughed. Snatcher propped the door open with his tail while the concentration of smoke in the kitchen thinned enough for the ship’s air purifier to whirl into action. Hattie regained her breath and met Snatcher’s scowl.</p>
<p>            “I was making breakfast!” She shrugged sheepishly.</p>
<p>            “Excuse me?” Snatcher glanced back over his shoulder. “Not only did you demand I be here at a certain time, but you hadn’t even eaten yet?”</p>
<p>            “You can eat food, right?” Hattie crossed her arms and crinkled her nose. “I know about souls but like, you can still enjoy food, right?”</p>
<p>            Snatcher narrowed his eyes in confusion, his mouth hanging open.</p>
<p>            “I was trying to have the breakfast ready before you got here so we could eat together!” Hattie gave him a “duh” look.</p>
<p>            “You can fly a spaceship, but you can’t fry an egg?” Snatcher’s wicked grin spread across his features. “It’s not rocket science, Kiddo!”</p>
<p>            “Hey!” Hattie started to object but he snatched her toque and placed it on his head.</p>
<p>            “Don’t fret, Kid,” he tossed her a wink before flying back into the kitchen. “I think I remember a culinary trick or two.”</p>
<p>            The kitchen doors flapped behind him and Hattie hurried into the kitchen, finding him floating by the stove with his tail trailing behind him. She watched as he calmly discarded all the burnt food into the garbage and wiped out the pan with a paper towel.</p>
<p>            He paused, looking down at his hands and flexing his talons. Hattie’s eyes widened as his form shifted and soon the shadowy form of the prince stood with his back to her, complete with the prince’s puffy sleeves and boots that reached his knees. He stepped over to the counter, where the extra bacon and eggs sat.</p>
<p>            “Bacon?” He glanced back; his glowing gold eyes pensive beneath his soft bangs.</p>
<p>            “I’ve never had it, is it good?” Hattie bounded over, propping her elbows on the counter as he turned the heat back on one of the burners. She wasn’t about to admit she specifically requested Cooking Cat purchase his favorite food when he was alive, especially when she thought about Vanessa’s diary entry about banning the treat.</p>
<p>            “Never—Just what kind of pathetic food do they have on your planet?” Snatcher scoffed.</p>
<p>            “My favorite cereal is honey-nut gearios!” Hattie beamed, quietly noting how he did not add oil before easily lining strips of bacon into the pan.</p>
<p>            “I’m sorry, did you say gearios?” Snatcher frowned, reaching over her to grab a pair of tongs. “As in gears? Metal?”</p>
<p>            “Yeah!” Hattie bounced on her feet. “Frosted with honey! I might have a box!” She grabbed the stool he had moved out of the way of the stove and placed it beneath the cupboard with her cereals.</p>
<p>            “Kid, there’s no way I’m going to—” he paused when she immediately deflated. A pained look flickered across his features before he cleared his throat. “Fine. Fine! I’ll try them. But no promises I’ll like it.” She smiled widely, scampering up onto the counter so she could reach the cupboard while Snatcher muttered something about him being already dead so eating a gear couldn’t be too bad.</p>
<p>            While Snatcher flipped the bacon and tantalizing smells filled the room, Hattie poured two bowls of frosted gearios and added a splash of milk to each. Snatcher tapped eggs against the edge of the stove and cracked them over the pan with one hand. Hattie gasped with awe and his delighted smirk did not go unnoticed by the child.</p>
<p>            Once the bacon and eggs were cooked, Hattie darted over to her messy table and pushed dirty plates aside to make room for their bowls and the still simmering pan.</p>
<p>            “You don’t have any clean plates?” Snatcher scowled, absentmindedly brushing back his purple locks. Hattie vaguely wondered if that was a habit from way back when he was alive.</p>
<p>            “We don’t need them.” She reached for a slice of bacon and Snatcher swiftly batted her hand away.</p>
<p>            “Are you stupid? You’ll burn yourself!” He growled. Hattie stuck out her tongue and he rolled his golden eyes. He used the tongs that he still held to grab a piece and used his other hand to draw wisps of steam from it. He furrowed his brows at the piece of bacon before gingerly holding it out to Hattie.</p>
<p>            “Be careful,” he instructed. “I’m not sure if it’s still too hot to burn but I think it should be okay.”</p>
<p>            Hattie eagerly reached out. When Snatcher gave her a glare, she slowed herself and gave the bacon piece a hesitant pinch. Determining it was just the right amount of warm, she grabbed hold of it and Snatcher released the bacon from the tongs.</p>
<p>            “Oh!” Hattie gasped as soon as she chomped into the bacon.</p>
<p>            “Too hot?” Snatcher froze, his hand extended over the pan. She shook her head.</p>
<p>            “It’s really good!” She quickly shoveled the rest of the salty protein into her mouth, enjoying the crunch and rich fatty taste.</p>
<p>            Snatcher nodded, his satisfied grin spreading across his features as he grabbed a piece straight from the pan. He noticed Hattie’s glare and raised a challenging eyebrow.</p>
<p>            “<em>You</em> are a small child very susceptible to burns.<em> I</em> am a spirit who can literally control flames,” he explained, holding a steaming piece to his mouth. Ignoring her pout, he leaned back and took a bite of the bacon.</p>
<p>            For a moment, Hattie could see her Papa’s old, blissful smile. As if unmarred by centuries of pain or grief, the shadow prince’s shoulders relaxed. He inhaled, savoring the taste before swallowing. Even then, he kept his eyes closed for a moment, meditating.</p>
<p>            “Now try this,” Hattie insisted, pushing the bowl closer to him. Snatcher glanced down at the frosted gears and sighed, his shoulders slumping with renewed despair.</p>
<p>            “Only because you shared your bacon,” he said, gathering a gear onto his spoon. Hattie leaned forward as he brought the spoon to his lips, his fangs pronounced against the glow of his mouth. He suddenly glanced at something behind her. “What the peck is that?”</p>
<p>            “What?” Hattie turned around. A tiny splash came from her bowl and she glanced down at the gears rippling in milk. Jaw slack, she looked back to Snatcher, who was miming innocent chewing.</p>
<p>            “Hey!” Hattie put her hands on the table, pushing herself up as she scowled. “You didn’t even try it!”</p>
<p>            “Are you accusing me of tricking you?” Snatcher grinned mischievously as he reached his spoon over to the pan. “I would never deceive my darling daughter.” He cut into an egg, carving out a piece of white dripping with a runny yolk. He elegantly fit it onto his spoon and popped the bite into his mouth.</p>
<p>            “Do you want me to pull out the receipts or—?” Hattie asked giving him a look.</p>
<p>            Snatcher choked on his egg and thickly swallowed. He reached for a napkin and wiped his mouth—a distinctly princely habit she wondered if he was conscious of doing—and rolled his eyes—a decidedly Snatcher response.</p>
<p>            “What if we made a deal?” He bargained. “I don’t need to eat the gears, but I’ll convince anyone who enters the forest to give them a try.”</p>
<p>            “You’re a terrible negotiator.” Hattie crossed her arms and glared at him.</p>
<p>            Snatcher held her gaze for a moment before letting out an exaggerated sigh.</p>
<p>            “Fine.” He dipped his spoon back into his bowl and lifted a gear dripping with milk to his lips. He paused and added, “You do realize this could kill a person? Eating metal?”</p>
<p>            “Stop stalling. You’re already dead.”</p>
<p>            “Ugh,” Snatcher closed his eyes and placed the spoon into his mouth. With his features crinkled, he slipped the spoon out of his mouth and moved the gear around. There was a tentative crunch and he opened his eyes in surprise.</p>
<p>            “Hmm,” he leaned against the table, looking up thoughtfully as he chewed. He swallowed and nodded. “Sweet. Sickeningly so. But also—I don’t know—the aftertaste vaguely reminds me of rain?” He scowled, looking down at the bowl. “That makes no sense.” He took another bite. “What is that?” He crunched slowly. “Wet paint? Sand?”</p>
<p>            “So, what I’m hearing is it’s not bad,” Hattie grinned. Snatcher scoffed.</p>
<p>            “It’s edible, but I’ll stick to bacon.” He placed his spoon down and grabbed another strip. Hattie stuck out her tongue before shoveling a large spoonful of cereal into her mouth. He mimicked her before taking a bite into his bacon.</p>
<p>            Crunching filled the lull. Hattie kicked her feet on her stool as she stared at her cereal. It was funny, she found, how nice it was to eat breakfast with someone. She hadn’t the chance to in her travels, and never sat still long enough when Cooking Cat happened to be in the kitchen.</p>
<p>            To think such a small hour in the day could warm her heart.</p>
<p>            A particularly grinding crunch came from Snatcher and she turned, finding him hunched over his cereal bowl with his elbows on the table. He dipped the spoon back down as he chewed and swirled the frosted gears around the milk, a pensive look on his glowing features.</p>
<p>            Hattie smiled to herself, looking back down at her breakfast. She never would have thought, out of all of the people she would eat breakfast with while stranded in orbit around Earth, it would be her dad. Even more wonderous was the turn of fate that her dad was Snatcher.</p>
<p>            “Hey, Kid?” Snatcher rested his chin on his hand, not looking up from his cereal. “Thanks.”</p>
<p>            Hattie beamed. She opened her mouth to respond, but a beeping from the living room caught their attention.</p>
<p>            “Oh!” Hattie jumped off of the stool and headed for the door. “That’s probably Timothy calling!”</p>
<p>            “Who?” Snatcher frowned, tilting his head and causing the toque to shift on his purple locks.</p>
<p>            “My guardian!” Hattie paused, clapping her hands together. “Come meet him!”</p>
<p>            “I’m—” Snatcher winced, “—I’m not sure I—”</p>
<p>            “Come on!” Hattie tore off before he could argue.</p>
<p>            She ran over to the screen and opened the call. Timothy’s bright features immediately greeted her.</p>
<p>            “Hey, Sweetheart,” Timothy said as Snatcher slowly stepped out of the kitchen, still in his shadow prince form. “I just wanted to see how things went with your father.”</p>
<p>            “Great!” Hattie quickly crossed over to Snatcher and grabbed his hand. He let out a startled yelp when she dragged him into view of the screen. “We were just eating breakfast!”</p>
<p>            “That’s wonderful to hear,” Timothy turned towards Snatcher, whose features went from anxious to confused to surprise in split seconds.</p>
<p>            “You’re Timothy?” Snatcher asked, a deep frown spreading across his features. Hattie looked curiously from Snatcher to Timothy and back.</p>
<p>            “Yes,” Timothy answered, sparing a glance towards Hattie before offering Snatcher a placid smile. “I actually would like to discuss something with you.”</p>
<p>            Snatcher nodded, though a sour expression painted his features. Before Hattie could ask what was wrong, Snatcher removed the toque and placed it back on her head, taking care to push the rim over her eyes. Snorting, she righted the hat and beamed up at him.</p>
<p>            “Why don’t you head to your room?” Snatcher smiled fondly. “I left something on your bed.”</p>
<p>            “Okay!” Hattie was excited to go see the surprise, but she paused, looking towards Timothy. He gave her an encouraging nod and she darted towards her room. “See ya, Timothy!”</p>
<p>            “Now once you’ve said your piece,” Snatcher growled in his usually grumpy voice at the screen, “I have something to say too.”</p>
<p>            “I suspect so,” Timothy began as Hattie reached the door to her room. She heard something about having to adhere to time travel laws, but she didn’t hear more before she found herself in her bedroom.</p>
<p>            A package on the bed wrapped with ribbon waited for her. She excitedly bounded over and jumped up onto the bed. Crossing her legs around the package, she gingerly unwrapped the bow and lifted the lid. Inside was a small plush sheep with brown horns that spiraled like cinnamon buns and wool that was colored like a pastel rainbow.</p>
<p>           Hattie gasped with awe as she carefully removed the little rainbow sheep. The wool was the softest material she had ever touched and the plush was fluffed up with the right amount of stuffing, leaving it squishy enough to be squeezable but firm enough to sustain tight hugs.</p>
<p>           Cradling it, she decided it needed just one addition. She grabbed some construction paper, scissors, and tape and got to work on the floor, with the sheep in her lap. She was taping the final pieces together when Snatcher stormed into her room. She jumped a little but watched as he walked briskly by, deep in thought.</p>
<p>            “Stubborn old coot,” Snatcher muttered, pacing by the pillow pit. He ran his hands through his fluffy hair as his form trembled with his frustration. </p>
<p>            “Snatcher?” Hattie placed the finished paper crown onto the sheep’s head before standing up, hugging the plush to her chest.</p>
<p>            “Stupid! Why would he—He should have just left.”</p>
<p>            “Dad!”</p>
<p>            “What?” Snatcher froze, his expression pained as he met her gaze.</p>
<p>            “Are you okay?” Hattie crossed over to him. “What happened?”</p>
<p>            Snatcher stared down at her, conflicting emotions warring in his countenance. He finally groaned in defeat.</p>
<p>            “Nothing. Just thinking about things, I wish I could have changed.” He crossed his arms and stared at the plush in her arms. “Hmm, something looks a little different.” He tapped the paper crown on its head.</p>
<p>            “He’s a prince!” Hattie beamed. “Like Papa!” She noticed the dip in his golden eyes and remembered how he disliked being reminded of the past. Quickly, her features fell, and she added, “I mean—sorry. I just thought—”</p>
<p>            “Don’t sweat it, Kid,” Snatcher’s features softened. He cleared his throat and looked away as he waved his hand dismissively. “Besides, it was just an extra plush laying around the forest. Who knows where it came from.”</p>
<p>            “I’m pretty sure I remember you sewing.” Hattie narrowed her eyes. “And where did all the doll bodies for your minions come from?”</p>
<p>            Snatcher bristled slightly before a nervous smile spread across his face and his brow furrowed.</p>
<p>            “I think you must have imagined that.” He pressed the pad of a sharp finger against her nose before turning around and shrugging casually. “The wicked ghost king of Subcon? Sewing? Dolls of all things?<em> Please</em>.”</p>
<p>            Hattie, noting his proximity to the pillow pile, gently placed down the rainbow sheep before getting into a launch position.</p>
<p>            “Admit you sew, you coward!” She leapt up at him and before he could realize what hit him, he found himself crying out as they tumbled onto the pillows.</p>
<p>            “Kid!” Snatcher laughed, pinned between her and pillows. “You’re incorrigible!” He reached for the nearest pillow and gently bopped it against the side of her head.</p>
<p>            “I don’t know what that means but you’re a grumpy old ghost who likes to make plushies!” She rolled away from him and grabbed her own pillow. She raised it defensively and Snatcher leaned back, cackling. He lightly raised his pillow, as if he intended to continue the pillow fight, but his arm flopped back down as he dissolved into genuine laughter.</p>
<p>             Hattie soon joined but squealed when he reached out and snatched her, pulling her into his arms and tickling her. She yelped through her giggles. Once she started wheezing and pushing his hands away, he released her, leaning back into the pillows.</p>
<p>            His laughter was dying down as he caught his breath and Hattie rolled onto her stomach, watching him with her legs kicking in the air.</p>
<p>            “Grumpy old ghost.” Snatcher shook his head, his glowing smile wide. “You’re such a brat.”</p>
<p>            She blew a raspberry and he snorted.</p>
<p>            “Are you feeling better?” Hattie asked after a moment.</p>
<p>            “Hmm?” Snatcher gave her a questioning look before recollection passed over his features. “Ah—wait. Why?”</p>
<p>            “I was worried about you,” Hattie admitted. “I don’t know what Timothy told you, but it looked like you were pretty upset.”</p>
<p>            Snatcher was quiet for a moment before he gave her a serious look.</p>
<p>            “Did he ever share the contents of the letter that was in the ship with you?” He wondered. Once she nodded, he continued, “I was frustrated. I can tell who sent it and I can tell Timothy has an idea, but he won’t let me…” Snatcher huffed, lifting his hand to his purple hair and running it through soft tufts. “…anyway. The person who wrote the letter should have escaped with you. They went back for me and a fat lot of good it did them.”</p>
<p>            “They cared about you.” Hattie tilted her head. “They wanted to protect you.”</p>
<p>            “But it didn’t matter in the end, and now,” Snatcher tensed, “they’re trapped in the manor. Forever. Their spirits can’t move on in her ice. I wish I could have stopped it. I wish Timothy would <em>let me warn him</em>.”</p>
<p>            Hattie looked up, reflecting.</p>
<p>            “One of the first things I ever learned in time piece training was,” she began slowly, “that we have to accept the past.” She brought her gaze back down, looking into his pained golden eyes before continuing, “it’s not easy. There have been plenty of times I’ve thought time pieces should have been used to change the past—that’s what you were thinking, right? —but Timothy constantly harped on the importance of accepting things and moving forward.</p>
<p>            “It seems dumb sometimes,” she admitted, “but it usually helps me to look at the good things that come from mistakes. Like if the Mafia hadn’t caused me to lose all the time pieces, I wouldn’t have stopped here and learned that you’re my dad.” She shrugged sheepishly and Snatcher’s features softened. “Bad things will always happen. If we get too caught up in changing what was, we miss out on what could be.”</p>
<p>            “You’re pretty smart, for a brat,” Snatcher sighed. “But if I could just help everyone Vanessa hurt—”</p>
<p>            “Maybe you can.” Hattie shrugged. “Maybe we can figure out a way to free your friends like you have with the rest of Subcon.”</p>
<p>            “You don’t have to help me, Kid,” Snatcher frowned. “This is my responsibility.”</p>
<p>            “But they’re like your family, right?” Hattie shook her head. “That means they’re <em>my </em>family too. So, I want to help.”</p>
<p>            Snatcher’s mouth became a tight line. He held out his hand and Hattie grabbed it curiously. He pulled her into his arms, sitting up to hug her.</p>
<p>            “Dad?” She whispered, gripping his chest while he held her.</p>
<p>            “I’m still a mess, Kid,” he muttered. “But I’m grateful for these moments with you.”</p>
<p>            “No matter what, we’ll always have these small hours.” Hattie nuzzled into his embrace. “That’s what Timothy always says.”</p>
<p>            Snatcher nodded, giving her a squeeze. There they remained for a few moments more, safe in each other’s arms.  </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Timothy now Tim years years years later when he goes to past Subcon and sees the Prince: Is-Is that Hattie's dad? The grumpy and rude ghost? <br/>Prince: *is cinnamon roll*<br/>Tim, in tears: I have to protect him at all costs. <br/>Don't we all, Tim.... don't we all. </p>
<p>Anyway, thank you for reading! I hope this was a gentle reprieve! The next fic will lead into the beginning of one more arc! Have a great weekend and please let me know what you think!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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